2011 Garden Planning

I'm planning to plant mostly flowers this year. I may plant a tomato plant or two in the actual yard (as opposed to containers). I'm considering a cucumber plant in the biggest container I have (I think it's about 7 gallons). The squash and the cucumbers seemed to do pretty well, even though they never produced any veggies and they seemed to have some wilting issues in the summer heat.

I haven't completely decided what I will do with the garden this summer, though. Unfortunately, all of the plants from last summer died prematurely. The picture from June is the best of the plants. The tomato plants never grew normal sized tomatoes in the containers.

So, here's my thoughts:
(2) 7 gallon containers: squash & cucumbers
(4) 5 gallon containers: tulips and other flowers
(2) 3.5 gallon containers: herbs and flowers
Tomato plant in the yard
Maybe a blackberry bush in the yard

Here are my questions:
Will tulip bulbs survive the winter in our basement in the 5 gallon containers?
What are the best flowers for my 5 gallon containers?
What herbs do I want to grow?

Mini Harvest from the Container Garden

Brian and I both had about three cherry tomatoes from the garden yesterday. They were delicious! I also got the blackberry. We've decided that I get the first sample of each since I put in the work. I can't wait for the full size tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers.

Speaking of cucumbers....I think I damaged the roots of my two best cucumber plants during the recent transplant. That's why there aren't pictures, yet. I'm waiting to see if they miraculously rebound before rearranging the garden. I hope to rearrange this week and post pictures soon.

Perked Up Plants & Strangely Growing Blackberry Bush

The plants (even the squash and cucumbers) did perk up after getting some water and some relief from the heat. I transplanted some cucumbers and the blackberry bush tonight. Speaking of the blackberry bush.....It's growing strangely. See for yourself:


It seems like only one branch has grown at all - straight out the side. Should I prune it? I'm not sure. I'll have to research it in my "spare time." I hear that's when people do things like research gardening, so if I ever find some spare time, I'll try it. I did transplant the bush into a bigger container tonight.

Those are my keys in the bottom for scale.

And, finally, there is some COLOR in my garden! Beautiful tomatoes!!


Lots of green ones, too.

These are the cherry tomatoes, but my regular tomatoes are getting nice and big. They're still green, though.

Hopefully tomorrow, I will set up the garden and have new pictures of the changes. I'm very excited about re-creating the space!

Poor Drained Plants

This is what my precious plants looked like when I returned home from work this evening:

Squash


Cucumbers


And even my hardy tomato plants!


I'm hoping water will perk these vegetable plants back up to their normal selves. The heat really seems to be the culprit. Perhaps the coming changes (including a lot of transplanting) will help.....But probably not if it's the heat.

My Office Sunflower

So, here's my office sunflower. I think it's reached it's maximum height. Now, it's working on producing a beautiful flower to greet me each day. I've thought about transplanting it to a bigger pot, but I've heard that sunflowers don't transplant well. I wonder if my hybrid-designed-for-containers sunflower would tolerate the move. Any thoughts?

Changes in the Garden....Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

So, Chuck at Lowe's thinks I'm crazy for growing squash, cucumbers, and blackberries in a container garden. I'm thinking about transplanting the blackberry bush in the apartment's yard (which means it would not move with us when we move). I'm not quite sure where I would plant it, yet. And, it would free up a planter for squash or cucumbers.

I'm also planning to transplant most of the squash and cucumbers so they aren't overcrowded. I haven't quite decided about the transplanting, yet, but hopefully, I'll have it figured out before I start tonight!

Why so Wilty, Squash? Cucumbers?

So, my squash and cucumbers seem to be wilty each afternoon. they perk up in the evening. Is it just because of the heat? I've moved them to the shade, but they seem *less* happy there. They perk up whether or not I give them water, so, it's not that.....Suggestions?